Child dies after fall from bunk bed

Shawnee police are investigating the death of a 6-year-old girl after she apparently fell off a bunk bed ladder and hit her head while trying to put a heavy backpack onto the top bunk.

Kim Morava

Shawnee police are investigating the death of a 6-year-old girl after she apparently fell off a bunk bed ladder and hit her head while trying to put a heavy backpack onto the top bunk.
Detective Ethan Rieves said Friday that the child’s name was not yet being released.
The case remains under investigation, but preliminary reports indicate the incident occurred as the girl was getting ready for school between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m. Friday.
She reportedly had a backpack with art supplies and coloring books that she was going to put on her sister’s bed, but her sister was already in the shower, Rieves said.
It is believed the girl fell while climbing the ladder of the bunk bed with that backpack, which weighed about 18.5 pounds, the detective said.
The floor of the bedroom wasn’t carpeted, Rieves said, and had laminate tile. The child suffered a head injury and was transported by REACT EMS ambulance to Unity Health Center, North Campus, where she was pronounced dead, he said.
No one witnessed the fall, Rieves said. At the time, her sister was in the shower and the girl’s stepmother was in another room putting a bandage on another sibling, the detective said.
Police are awaiting results of an autopsy as part of their probe. The state medical examiner will determine exact cause of death, and those results aren’t expected until next week, he said.
Rieves and Detective Ronnie Wilson are working this case. Watch for updates as they become available.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.